• last year
Iowa Quarterback
Transcript
00:00 How was training writing?
00:01 It's good.
00:02 Yeah.
00:03 [LAUGHTER]
00:03 [INAUDIBLE]
00:04 Yeah.
00:04 [INAUDIBLE]
00:05 Yeah.
00:05 I figure.
00:06 [LAUGHTER]
00:09 Where does the motivation for you come--
00:13 to be a speech guy?
00:14 We heard about you talking to team after the loss.
00:19 Saw a video online from the Rutgers comeback in 2020.
00:22 Is that just part of being a quarterback?
00:24 Or has that been something just always--
00:26 you've been somebody to kind of rally the troops
00:28 and gather everybody around?
00:29 I just feel like--
00:30 I don't know-- like a little bit of just kind of--
00:34 I just get a feeling that something needs to be said.
00:37 And usually, I have a pretty good feeling as to what needs
00:40 to be said and when.
00:41 And I won't do it unless I've earned
00:47 that right to say something.
00:48 And I think I'm never going to say anything
00:52 to put anyone down or anything.
00:54 Everything is focused on us getting better
00:56 and making sure we're all in the right place.
00:58 And so I think it's just kind of--
01:00 it's more of a natural thing.
01:02 When did you feel that moment here that you had--
01:05 That I'd earned it?
01:06 --earned it to say something?
01:07 I felt like I earned it pretty early here, just based
01:10 on the amount of respect my teammates were showing
01:14 and expressing to me as to how much--
01:19 like, they would even tell me how much they've earned--
01:21 I earned their respect.
01:22 And for me to be able to do that at such--
01:27 early in my career here, I mean, that just
01:31 puts me in such a more comfortable position
01:33 as a leader and as a player.
01:35 In a nutshell, what did you have to say?
01:38 I think that's more important for the guys in the locker room.
01:43 Obviously, the numbers are not ideal for this offense
01:46 through four weeks.
01:47 What's the biggest thing that you think this offense needs
01:50 to do to improve against a team like this?
01:52 I think it's just been a combination of a few things.
01:54 And I think every single week has been pretty unique.
02:00 The different parts of our game have shown well,
02:02 and different parts of our game haven't.
02:04 And I think a lot of this is coming down
02:09 to some mental things, and we're cleaning those up.
02:12 You look through four games and 14 catches by wide receivers,
02:16 only 35 targets.
02:19 Has that been more game plan driven, the way the ball just
02:22 goes where it's open, or is there a way you can get them
02:25 more involved in the game?
02:27 I mean, I'm just a quarterback.
02:29 I'm not calling the plays or doing any of that.
02:31 That's not my decision.
02:33 I'm just going to run the play as fit,
02:35 and I'm going to throw it to the open guy.
02:37 Do you ever get to suggest plays?
02:38 Oh, yeah.
02:39 They're very open to my voice, and I appreciate them
02:43 about how much they care about my influence,
02:46 and it makes me play more freely.
02:49 When you talk about some of it being mental hurdles,
02:51 you have to get over how do you get over that?
02:55 I think just addressing it first and then just going from there.
02:59 When you look at the film afterwards,
03:01 especially only two first downs while you were on the field,
03:04 when you're self-evaluating after that,
03:06 what are some of the areas of improvement
03:09 that you saw looking at this and moving forward?
03:12 I mean, we have a checklist when we're grading ourselves
03:15 and when the coaches are grading ourselves,
03:17 and I only missed a couple things.
03:20 So all of those are very fixable.
03:24 I don't see any sleet on your legs.
03:26 How's the butt feeling?
03:28 It's feeling much better.
03:29 Every single week it's progressing very well.
03:32 I'm getting a lot closer to being able to run 100%.
03:36 I'm able to run, and I think all my pocket movement is at 100%.
03:40 It's just more of when I open it up and just run out in open field
03:45 is probably when I still feel it a little bit.
03:47 But other than that, I feel great.
03:48 Were you feeling it on that 18-yard run?
03:50 Yeah, a little bit.
03:52 I think just me being able to get out of the pocket and stuff,
03:55 there were some times I was able to move around a little bit.
03:58 Those all feel 100%, but once I realized that I had the yard to gain
04:03 and all that, I just kind of coasted it out.
04:06 Were you surprised that there--you hadn't seen a lot of green grass.
04:09 Were you surprised by how much?
04:11 Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, obviously it was a pass play.
04:14 So once I saw all that open field, I was like,
04:17 "Shoot, I'll just take it."
04:20 I think on the broadcast they mentioned you looked like you were shaking
04:23 your hand a little, and then Kirk even said afterward your hand was cramping up.
04:26 Was there anything during the game you were--were you feeling that
04:28 throughout the game, I guess, is what I'm asking.
04:31 Just a little bit.
04:32 I hit my hand on a helmet pretty good, I think, in the first half or something.
04:38 I mean, nothing's like--it's not really hurt.
04:40 It's just, you know, just kind of something that happens, you know.
04:43 So it didn't affect my throwing or anything.
04:46 You're good.
04:47 Yeah, I'm fine.
04:48 It was extremely minor.
04:52 Shortly after you committed to Iowa last December,
04:56 I heard you on a podcast with a couple of quarterbacks,
04:59 and you said basically to the world,
05:02 "Please keep saying we're the worst offense in college football."
05:07 You hoped people kept saying that.
05:10 What would you say to those people now?
05:14 I mean, the season's not over yet.
05:16 We're continually evaluating every single week,
05:19 and, you know, this isn't even close to the finished product.
05:23 I mean, there's a reason why you play 12 games in a season.
05:26 There's a reason why there's four quarters in a game for us to--I mean,
05:31 if we just shut it down right now based on what has already happened,
05:35 I think that's just not a good mindset.
05:39 What are your expectations for the next eight games?
05:42 Do you need to move ahead from a game like Saturday
05:47 when you're in the building literally and figuratively
05:50 and you have no choice but to move on and you're not kind of in the social media cycle?
05:55 I mean, I think just being around the guys, we all went through something that,
05:59 you know, I don't think I've ever--a lot of the guys on the team
06:02 haven't gone through a loss like that maybe ever, if not in a really long time,
06:06 and, you know, that one hurt.
06:08 So Coach always refers to the 24-hour rule, so just, you know, it sucks for that 24 hours,
06:14 but after that we have to move on and we've got to focus on the next week.
06:18 What's the key to getting Caleb Brown more involved?
06:22 Whatever Brian thinks is the best way to get Caleb Brown involved, I'm all for it.
06:28 When you look at wide receivers again, I mean,
06:31 how do you display that you have confidence in them
06:34 when, you know, barely three passes a game they catch?
06:41 I mean, I'm extremely confident in them, and they know how confident I am,
06:45 and I know that they're confident in me.
06:47 So I don't really care about anything other than me and theirs relationship,
06:53 and I know how we both feel about one another.
06:57 You said after the game you thought this might be like the worst you had felt after a game.
07:02 You've been through a lot in your career.
07:04 What made it reach that level for you?
07:08 I mean, we got smoked, and I think, you know, it was just a tough night.
07:13 I mean, being blown out and not scoring any points, that's--it's extremely tough as a competitor.
07:22 So winning's great, and, you know, we love to win games,
07:26 but when you lose, and especially losing that way, those things.
07:31 You had a 24-hour rule.
07:33 That all said, when you guys get back to practice on Monday,
07:36 is there an added level of intensity that you're seeing on that practice field,
07:40 or is it just back to, you know, the usual high standards of intensity
07:44 that you guys have in this program?
07:47 I mean, I think the guys are well aware of how big of a week this is
07:51 and how--and everyone felt that on Saturday, and our goal is never to feel that way again.
07:56 So we're going to--we've been attacking this week so far very well.
08:00 Confidence is something that you mentioned right after the game,
08:03 even though you also said that it was a pretty horrible feeling, obviously,
08:07 and confidence in the rest of the guys.
08:09 Does that come from just your relationship that you have with the guys, practice?
08:13 Where is the substance for that confidence that you're still feeling?
08:18 Yeah, it comes from what we've done in practice.
08:20 It comes from the relationships we have.
08:22 It's come from really just a lot of stuff that we've already done,
08:25 like the work that we put in.
08:27 You know, we've seen what the product and what it looks like,
08:30 and, you know, it just comes from that.
08:33 And I know that everyone's willing to get better,
08:36 and everyone cares about this team and this offense.
08:38 When you look at the opponent this week, you know,
08:42 do you have any kind of lingering memories of facing them
08:46 and being a staunch rival in your past life?
08:49 And does that kind of come to the surface at all?
08:53 I mean, I've thought about it just maybe a little bit since,
08:58 just from a schematic standpoint, that it was the same defensive coordinator
09:01 that I faced when I played them last.
09:04 Other than that, I just kind of took a look at, you know,
09:08 how I was able to operate again and see what some tendencies,
09:12 if they were similar to what I prepared for back then
09:15 to what I'm preparing for now.
09:17 And those are just kind of the little things that I took a look at.
09:20 Otherwise, we've been pretty focused on some of the stuff
09:23 that they've been showing this year.
09:25 Well, I know, like, you know, this team playing Iowa State,
09:28 it's a big rivalry game.
09:29 You feel that, you know, everybody feels that rivalry factor.
09:34 I guess, do you still feel that?
09:36 Do you still have that for Michigan State,
09:38 especially after the way you guys played two years ago?
09:42 Yeah, I mean, that's a game that I definitely wanted to win.
09:44 And, you know, me and Eric both have another shot at them.
09:48 So, you know, as in -- I mean, you never want to go O
09:52 and whatever against a team.
09:53 So, our goal is to win this game for sure.
09:56 Thank you.